# Guilty Pleasures: Movies you like but are/were widely panned as a bad movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 11, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884 "2021-12-11T13:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/161 "2021-12-13T20:37:10Z")
_Big Trouble in Little China_ grossed $11 million but cost $20 million to make so it was a box office failure, at least. Do we go with Rotten Tomatoes or the bottom line of any film…how much money did it make at the box office? > [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Edit ti add: Wait a sec. BTILC has a 74% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, 82% with audiences. I don’t remember it being “widely panned” (as OP specifies). From Wikipedia: > After the commercial and critical failure of the film, Carpenter became very disillusioned with Hollywood and became an independent filmmaker.[[32]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#cite_note-Swires2-32) He said in an interview, “The experience [of _Big Trouble_] was the reason I stopped making movies for the Hollywood studios. I won’t work for them again. I think _Big Trouble_ is a wonderful film, and I’m very proud of it. But the reception it received, and the reasons for that reception, were too much for me to deal with. I’m too old for that sort of bullshit.”[[33]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#cite_note-33) [SOURCE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#Reception) I think this review of The 13th Warrior sums it up well: > _The 13th Warrior_ isn’t a terrible film, but it is terribly broken. The film’s title change from the eerie and eye-catching _Eaters of the Dead_ to the bland and milquetoast _The 13th Warrior_ , coupled with the final cut’s removal of much of the story’s overt connection to _Beowulf_ , did away with some of the film’s biggest strengths, leaving a dully plotted medieval adventure movie that is all but indistinguishable from the majority of the genre. The noticeable deletion of characters and plotlines leaves our charismatic lead characters lurching from one Wendol fight to the next with no real indication of stakes or scope or even why they (and by extension we) should care. And in a truly mind-blowing turn of events, _The 13th Warrior_ undermines its own excellent final act by tacking on a goofy “boss fight” that does nothing but delay the end credits for a few more minutes. Still, engaging performances from Banderas, Storhøi, and Kulich, combined with some excellent costumes and props and McTiernan’s skilled hand at directing frantic action sequences, saves _The 13th Warrior_ from being unwatchable. It will never be a good movie, but man, it _could’ve_ been. [SOURCE](https://collider.com/the-13th-warrior-what-went-wrong/) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/162 "2021-12-13T20:50:57Z")
I’m glad to see _Hudson Hawk_ mentioned so many times. It’s my perennial answer to this question every time it comes up. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2021, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/163 "2021-12-13T22:48:40Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SuAADocdVn0/hqdefault.jpg "The Stepford Wives Movie Trailer 2004 (Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuAADocdVn0) > On [Rotten Tomatoes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_Tomatoes), _The Stepford Wives_ holds an approval rating of 26%, based on 175 reviews with an average rating of 4.70/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “In exchanging the chilling satire of the original into mindless camp, this remake has itself become Stepford-ized.”[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_(2004_film)#cite_note-13) > > [Pete Travers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Travers) of _[Rolling Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone)_ said that the on-set complications of the film “can’t compare to the mess onscreen.”[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_(2004_film)#cite_note-14) [Lisa Schwarzbaum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Schwarzbaum) of _[Entertainment Weekly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Weekly)_ said, “The remake is, in fact, marooned in a swamp of camp, inconsequentiality.”[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_(2004_film)#cite_note-15) [A. O. Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._O._Scott) of _[The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times)_ said, “the movie never lives up to its satiric potential, collapsing at the end into incoherence and wishy-washy, have-it-all sentimentality.”[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_(2004_film)#cite_note-16) [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives_(2004_film)) ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/164 "2021-12-14T01:11:41Z")
Excalibur (1981) I was going to say this. I saw it first in junior high and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen. Still a big fan. In fact, I named my 2 cats Guinivere and Morgana. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/165 "2021-12-14T01:24:37Z")
Can’t believe that nobody has mentioned “The Postman” yet. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/166 "2021-12-14T01:24:38Z")
I was 14/15 when I saw that and loved it too but I thought it was not well received at the time. @Wendell_Wagner says it was though so ok…was way too long ago for me to remember well. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/167 "2021-12-14T01:45:36Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > _Oscar_ was Stallone trying to do a bedroom farce, but farce for some reason doesn’t work nearly as well onscreen as it does in the theatre (even _Noises Off_ , one of the best farces of recent decades, pales in comparison to its live performances) and Stallone really doesn’t have the right kind of comedy chops for it. Given that Stallone is like one of ten characters in the film and the pacing and direction are about half the humor, I feel like you may be putting too much focus on the one thing. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/168 "2021-12-14T19:45:40Z")
Since the OP specified “ **are/were** widely panned” I take your point. BTILC was panned at first but over time became a highly regarded cult classic. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > _Big Trouble in Little China_ grossed $11 million but cost $20 million to make so it was a box office failure, at least. Do we go with Rotten Tomatoes or the bottom line of any film…how much money did it make at the box office? > > > [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > > > Edit ti add: Wait a sec. BTILC has a 74% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, 82% with audiences. I don’t remember it being “widely panned” (as OP specifies). > > From Wikipedia: > > > After the commercial and critical failure of the film, Carpenter became very disillusioned with Hollywood and became an independent filmmaker.[[32]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#cite_note-Swires2-32) He said in an interview, “The experience [of _Big Trouble_] was the reason I stopped making movies for the Hollywood studios. I won’t work for them again. I think _Big Trouble_ is a wonderful film, and I’m very proud of it. But the reception it received, and the reasons for that reception, were too much for me to deal with. I’m too old for that sort of bullshit.”[[33]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#cite_note-33) [SOURCE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trouble_in_Little_China#Reception) ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/169 "2021-12-14T21:25:54Z")
I really liked the movie version of **The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle**. The one with Renee Russo, Piper Perabo, and Robert DeNiro. It seems to be widely panned, but I thought it was a great homage to the TV series. I groaned. I chuckled. I laughed. Gave me the smiles. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/170 "2021-12-15T01:46:18Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > My other film of note in the category is The Shadow (1994). Alec Baldwin is excellent in this, both as Lamont Cranston and The Shadow. And parts of it are really clever (I’m going to watch it again, just for the way the bad guy disguised his headquarters). This is also in the category of _“Guilty Pleasures That My (Then-Little) Kids Would Beg Me To Rent 100 Times”…_ along with The Rocketeer, Newsies, Rat Race, Goodburger. And Mouse Hunt! (Christopher Walken, Michael Jeter, and… _Nathan Lane as Ernie Smuntz)_… gotta watch this again, too. Hmm, I guess those “films” would all definitely be on my list. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/171 "2021-12-15T02:07:41Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > I really liked the movie version of **The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle**. The one with Renee Russo, Piper Perabo, and Robert DeNiro. It seems to be widely panned, but I thought it was a great homage to the TV series. I groaned. I chuckled. I laughed. Gave me the smiles. +1. This was one of those things that found me instead of vice-versa. I.e. I found it in the bargain bin somewhere, thought ‘Why not?’ and it didn’t disappoint. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/172 "2021-12-15T02:16:44Z")
Since **digs** refocused my attention on the thread, I wanted to add another film that hasn’t been mentioned yet - [Freaked](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/freaked) (1993). With a 50 / 65 on Rotten Tomatoes and hated by it’s studio who made no effort to advertise it, it opened on two screens and of course was a massive flop in terms of profit (made under $13,000 on a budget of $12 million). The movie makes zero effort to take itself seriously, which is why it works. It is endless fun and I have it on DVD which took some doing. Side note to @gdave - we shared our love of Bunraku in a similar thread a while ago, and I still agree, it’s actually an amazing movie, just too _different_ from any possible expectations to be really successful. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@bmoak1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak1)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/173 "2021-12-15T02:37:39Z")
My usual go-to entry here is Ken Russel’s Lair of the White Worm. Part Lovecraft, part Hammer horror, and part acid-trip starring a very young Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi. It also has the [D’ampton Worm Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8n6z-WRCd0). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/174 "2021-12-15T03:01:50Z")
_The Fantastic Four_(1994). I think they did a wonderful job with what they had to work with and, in my opinion, it came closest to sticking to the comic book origin and attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/175 "2021-12-15T03:36:19Z")
The mention of kids reminded me of a super guilty pleasure-- Good Burger. It is dumb, '90s pre-teen nonsense starring Kenan and Kel (hey, I just found out Kenan is the longest tenured member of SNL and GodDAMN, I’m old!) but it cracked me up. If I was going to be subjected to an awful Nick pre-teen movie, I’d convince my kids to watch Good Burger instead of Surf Ninjas for the thousandth time. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/176 "2021-12-15T03:39:14Z")
If I remember it right…that one was pretty bad. Not good-bad. Just…not good. Just my $0.02 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/177 "2021-12-15T03:45:09Z")
For a Roger Corman film it was way above average, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/178 "2021-12-15T04:59:20Z")
Drive Angry - A Nicolas Cage income movie. 48% RT 37% Audience. All you need to know - Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, grisly images, some graphic sexual content, nudity and pervasive language. A romp from Hell. Also thought the 2nd lead was Christopher Walken, but it’s William Fichtner. Very similar. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/179 "2021-12-15T10:31:05Z")
Those are really interesting stats for a brainless action flick: the critics liked it appreciably more than the general audience! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884/180 "2021-12-15T10:46:19Z")
Easily the best live action Doctor Doom to date. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guilty-pleasures-movies-you-like-but-are-were-widely-panned-as-a-bad-movie/955884.md?page=10)